News Release
 December 1, 1999

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The sleigh bells are ringing. Holiday cookies are baking in the oven. Brightly wrapped presents are starting to arrive at your front door and homes are lit with bold, beautiful lights. But, despite all the festivities, you find you’re not enjoying one minute of it.

Is it just a case of the holiday blues? Or could it be something more serious?

"For many people, the holiday season can be a very special and joyous time," said Hyong Un, M.D., Psychiatrist-in-Chief at Friends Hospital, a psychiatric care facility in Northeast Philadelphia. "Yet for others it can be a very difficult and sad time of year. Some people might find themselves feeling down and out because of the holiday pressures – buying gifts when they have little money to spend – dealing with family members – handling dozens of responsibilities and social functions. Others, who have few family or friends nearby, may feel lonely. These are normal reactions, which we might call the holiday blues. But others may be suffering from clinical depression and professional help may be required."

DEPRESSION       An illness Multiple symptoms: moods, thoughts, bodily functions  Can result in suicide Requires specific medical psychiatric treatment

HOLIDAY BLUES A normal reaction to life situations Single symptom: moods that last temporarily  Rarely produces suicidal thoughts Requires a good listener and/or time to heal

Clinical depression is a serious and common disorder of mood that is pervasive, intense and attacks the mind and the body at the same time. Depression can result in a serious disturbance of work, social, and bodily functioning. Unlike grief or passing sadness, depression usually does not respond to a change in circumstances (for example, good news) nor does it dissipate with time (in contrast to the grief over the death of a loved one). Depression can last for months or years if left untreated, resulting in disruption of relationships and professional productivity, disability or death.

ADepression is a whole body illness involving physical symptoms, moods, and thoughts. It affects the way you eat and sleep, the way you feel about yourself, and the way you think about things. In most cases, people will find themselves incapable of enjoying life any more,@ said Dr. Un.

Studies show that clinical depression may be associated with an imbalance of chemicals in the brain that carry communications between nerve cells that control mood and other bodily systems that are disturbed in depression, such as sleep and appetite. Life experiences such as severe stress or loss, other medical illnesses, and certain personality traits and genetic factors may also trigger depression.

In most people, depression can be treated successfully, either with medication or psychotherapy, or a combination of the two. AA depressive disorder is not a passing blue mood, a sign of personal weakness or a condition that can be willed or wished away. People with a depressive illness cannot merely Apull themselves together@ and get better. Without treatment, symptoms can last for months or years.@

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, depression affects over 17 million Americans each year. Less than half of the people suffering from depression seek treatment. One out of every five adults may experience depression at some point during his or her life. Twice as many women as men experience depression.

Symptoms of Depression include:

• Depressed mood
• Diminished interest or pleasure in activities
• Significant change in appetite and/or weight
• Sleep disturbances
• Restlesssness or sluggishness
• Fatigue or loss of energy
• Lack of concentration or indecision
• Feelings of worthlessness; inappropriate guilt
• Thoughts of death or suicide

These include the main symptoms that characterize clinical depression. If a person has either of the first two symptoms and four of the remaining seven, and these symptoms last for two weeks or more and the individual=s functioning is impaired, a diagnosis of depression is likely. This diagnosis can only be made after a complete psychiatric and/or physical examination has been conducted to eliminate other mental or physical diseases that can result in similar symptoms.

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